THE ATLANTA OLYMPICS. INSIDE THE OLYMPICS.

This Swimming Heat Too Close To Call

July 21, 1996|By Bonnie DeSimone.

Finland's Jani Sievinen and Paul Palmer of Great Britain created their own version of synchronized swimming Saturday in the 200-meter freestyle. In morning heats, the two tied for the eighth and last finals slot with identical times of 1 minute 49.05 seconds, forcing a 1 p.m. "swimoff." That race ended in another dead heat to the last hundredth of a second: 1:48.89.

Sievinen, the 1995 European champion in the event, then withdrew and ceded his slot to Palmer. The Finn said he couldn't afford to wear himself out the day before the 400-meter individual medley, where he is expected to challenge world-record holder Tom Dolan of Arlington, Va.